Review: Fran Lebowitz at Regal Theatre
Fran Lebowitz at Regal Theatre
Thursday, May 21, 2026
America’s preeminent grumpy old woman gave Perth a send-off to remember last Thursday.
The self-proclaimed “Night-mayor of New York” endeared herself to Perth, saying she can’t be mansplained to, as she put it, we’re more likely to get Fransplained, and heaven help the victims of her acerbic wit.
More humourist than comedian, Fran Lebowitz is never shy of a strong opinion but elucidates victims of her sharp tongue with clever turns of phrase. Her quip that she didn’t realise people thought reality TV was “actually reality” quickly became synonymous with her belief that Trump could never win office: did people actually believe any of it was real? Truth is stranger than fiction.
Lebowitz’s version of reality is a dated one, but it’s hardly antiquated. The 75-year-old may not value technology (“I have a phone, but it’s in my apartment”), and you won’t find this avid book reader on a Kindle anytime soon, but that doesn’t stop her from keeping on top of current affairs. Her knowledge of topics as varied as age, race and politics was broad; it’s fair to say she’s a fan of current NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but not President Trump, who was her favourite target throughout the evening.
Set in two parts, the first half saw Lebowitz seated for an interview with Perth’s own Meri Fatin (ABC, RTRFM), in a format not dissimilar to that used by Martin Scorsese in his excellent Netflix documentary series Pretend It’s a City (Lebowitz is the protagonist). Fatin’s knowledge of the subject was apparent, exploring everything from her lifelong friendship with Toni Morrison to the wonders of FranCon, a cult event at which attendees dress up like Lebowitz.
The second portion of the night saw Lebowitz stand at a lectern answering questions pre-organised by audience members, but one got the sense that as much as both Fatin and the crowd had insightful queries, our subject used the questions to tangent in directions she had largely preplanned. From her mic drop closer about her mother’s influence on her good grammar to telling lines about New York such as “It’s more fun to be in your 20s in the 70s than your 70s in the 20s,” it was apparent that even with the show’s ad hoc approach, many of the laugh-out-loud moments were cleverly planned ahead.
In the end New York wins because it’s a “tolerant” city, and Scorcese is a treasured companion because he’s “much smarter than you have to be to be a movie director”. These insights ultimately explain Lebowitz’s unique worldview best; she’s the gay 70s intellectual icon who was culturally ahead of her time in so many ways, surrounding herself with other artists and intellectuals while never falling victim to the mundane activities such as doom scrolling that are slowly erasing the rest of our personalities.
HARVEY RAE
Photos by Linda Dunjey
